Thousands of train drivers in Britain belonging to the ASLEF union plan to strike on Sept. 1 and ban overtime the next day in a months-long pay dispute, the union said on Friday in a move it expects to affect passengers across the country.

The union said the industrial action involving 13,000 drivers would impact 16 train companies, including FirstGroup-owned Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

"We don’t want to take this action but the train companies, and the government which stands behind them, have forced us into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us," ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said in the statement.

The workers have staged 11 days of strikes so far in the dispute which began last June.

ASLEF last month suspended a separate strike action planned on the London Underground network, saying progress had been made in negotiations with the employer. (Reporting by William James, writing by Muvija M)